This story first appeared as part of the Florida on a Tankful Holiday Spectacular.

Peter Behringer, wearing a white lab coat in the front of the room, said it's "sort of a hands-on affair." 

"I'll go through the flavors, and we'll decide," Behringer said.

The man at the head of the class at Sweet Pete's candy factory is known for his sweet treats and stands willing to share his knowledge.

In this candy factory that looks like Willy Wonka's house, you can make your own candy.

"I want them to learn something unique that they cannot learn anywhere else," Behringer said. "We get everybody from kindergarten to high school to senior citizens."

Katie Leavy visited with her grandparents.

"It's a lot of fun because you get to make lollipops, and I have never made one before," Leavy said while cramming a stick through warm candy before it could harden.

"It's a little bit difficult shaping it," Leavy said.

But let's be honest: No matter how it looks, it all tastes the same in the end.

The lesson is part chemistry, part cooking and all sweet for the man in his candy factory who finds joy in one thing: "The kids," Behringer said. "Even their eyes light up."

Sweet Pete's holiday candy-making classes tend to fill up early. The rest of his house is full of candy, baked goods, sweet treats and ice cream.

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Scott Fais joins Travel Monthly
Catch our own Scott Fais as the Florida Correspondent on the On Demand travel magazine, Travel Monthly. Each month, Scott joins other travel reporters from across the United States as they showcase a wide variety of attractions, diners, parks and landmarks from across America. See Travel Monthly nationally on Time Warner Cable channel 411. And here at home on Channel 999. Or see more of Travel Monthly here, courtesy of NY1, a service of Charter Communications.